Showering Off Grid | Simple DIY bathhouse | Bathroom and shower house made easy.
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- čas přidán 6. 09. 2024
- Showering and using the bathroom off grid. We keep things Simple and show you how we stay comfortable off grid. It doesn't have to be complicated or primitive, We show our set up for keeping Jen Happy while Off Grid in the Northern Michigan Wilderness.
Accepting payments for the Jay show at paypal.me/offgridwithjayandjen 😂🤣😂🤣😂
Here is the Original build video for the bathhouse:
• Off grid property bath...
Online shopping ? Use this link ! amzn.to/2XkTVlO
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You can water the garden with gray water or collect it for washing vehicles, outside buildings, bathing animals etc
I love solar lights! I have them everywhere! Up on my house for motion detection! I'm going to ask bathhouse questions when i watch the build😊😊😊😊
That is awesome!
@OffgridwithJayandJen I meant to add, I have them up where I park and on my walkway. There great! You might want to get 2 for each door and put them up on the .. ...I forget the name (end of the roof, want to say batten board, but not sure if that's right.) I don't have to worry about turning on lights. My whole shed is solar lights and fans. I don't flip a switch. I just push a button on the remote(s) in a pocket I made for them right inside the door. (For the fans x3) 2 coming in from the wall fartherest from the door to help push out the hot air (Alabama) and a ceiling fan with light kit that's solar (not hooked to my battery bank) it's awesome. Little but works 10x better than I thought it would.
Great setup. I would just move the water pump outside so it wouldn’t be so loud inside the shower house. The regular flush toilet is a game changer.
Oh ya, just like a camper....but a years worth of storage, lol
You are so lucky to have the bath house. There can be nothing better than a shower to make you feel better after a hard day of work! As for having a flush toilet, well that is great. When I was a child and lived in London (UK) my dad bought a cottage in the countryside and he gutted it and created a lovely home. Originally there no indoor plumbing, only an old fashioned well for water and we had to go into the forest to go poo poos! Times were hard as a child........... Glad things have progressed since then. Take car both of you. p.s. Jen needs more lights.
Life has been grand for many years, right?? We have to collect the water but it is well worth it. Jen smiled about the solar light comment
WOOT WOOT Jen have you given up on the collection of water and passed the chore back to Jason ? WOOT WOOT.
Ha, Jen let me take the reins this round. First time using the mule and mini trailer so had to make sure there where no kinks to work out. Woot woot buddy
I love the little solar lights too Jen! (Loretta). I definitely need more. *FANCY* :)
😊 Jen loves solar lights.....you and Jen can join forces to be a powerful solar light duo......ha ha
Nice shower room
Thanks. Makes "roughing it" a little bit easier
Pretty nice little bath house and solar lights lol.
Thanks Sinbad, keeps the lady happy, double sin. 😁
You should make that container into a water tower (just above the roof). Then use the pump to fill it. That way you have good pressure without the noise during your showers. Same thing for the sink in the cabin
There is a flat spot up the hill that I considered doing that with, I like your thinking. Gravity fed eliminates lots of mechanical issues. Best wishes
Thanks. Gravity is still a modern marvel and a damn good worker! Now only if you could tap a well below that flat spot up the hill… you could power wash lol. I enjoy your channel.
Oh oh, got the lights out, nice bath house guys
Thanks WW, Jens favorite day of the year. Lol
Pretty Fancy... TP Hoarder! One of these is next on my Bucket list after the roof is on the cabin
Better accommodations, the longer we stay out here in the woods. It just made sense to get that shower and toilet working, lol
No paint on the water tank? A dark primer layer to block light and a white outer layer to stop the tank from heating up in the summer will see most of the algae growth stopped. If you are just using that water for the sink, shower and toilet why not capture the water off the roof to reduce what you need to haul in?
😁 I'm a starter and not a finisher sometimes, lol. This last summer was suppsoe to be for little projects like you said but we started building the off grid cabin and the little things got put on the back burner, lol. I'll be doing a more professional set up for water up at the cabin for rain collection. Thanks for the suggestions bud
Hot water is key when living off grid. It's like that simple pleasure that means so mcuh.
Oh ya.....you can rough it for a few days....but after that a nice warm shower is key
I was thinking about you guys last night and was wondering how things were with you. Can't wait to see you guys enjoy that place this Summer. You're an inspiration to all of us who would love to do that.
Thanks my friend. It's nice to hear you were thinking of us. we get a little joy knowing we are bringing a little happiness to those who watch. We really do appreciate you my friend. See you on the next one
I wanted to put in an out house but this whole bathroom us sooooo much better!!!!❤
Nice work. Cool to see everything working as when you winterized it. Over the years I’ve noticed that I’m always crossing my fingers, hoping for no new surprises....😀.
LOL, Isn't that the truth.....it seems like there is always something unexpected, no matter how hard you try to prepare. best wishes Jason
Hey Jay and Jen! I own that water heater it works very well we use it camping! it is funny that Jen loves those little solar lights I do too!!! I ordered some the other day for my front yard! don't worry we won't tell Jay it will be our little secret lol! I love the bath house. Great video!
I'll act like I didnt see this Sheila.
- Jay
@@OffgridwithJayandJen LMAO!!!!!!
@@OffgridwithJayandJen why didn't you put in a septic tank
@@amadueskooler6559 it was easier, cheaper, quicker, and works well this way. Just have to have it pumped out once every few years
Those on demand water heater are great, we have one in our bath house/sauna and one in our cabin for kitchen. We always have to crack a window in our bath house for that heater or it will go out from lack of O2, also vented it to keep the CO down.
We are super impressed with it as well. Our bath house has open soffit ends by the rafters so we haven't had an issue like that, BUT I'm glad you mentioned it, cuz we were planning to close them up soon. Hopefully it does not cause any issues. Thanks for the INFO
Yes you need more solar lights!
Oh boy, Jen is already smirking ear to ear, lol
You should see our yard at home! Jay jokes airplanes might get confused from up above and land in the yard . Jay's put a ban on me buying any new ones lol.
Happy wife, happy life!
Absolutely agree about the solar lights, I love them to. Love your bath house design. I gotta do the same while I build on my offgrid property. Thanks Guys! 👍🤝💜🤗
Big smiles, thanks for being here.
We are loving the videos guys. Thank you for taking us along.
Thanks for being here guys. We love it
lots of great ideas in the video, I am just building an off grid shower right now. Not at the level this is at being a full shed but it is just going to be a seasonal outdoor shower.
Very nice my friend
This is EXACTLY what I want to build for a Upper Peninsula Michigan off grid cabin. Love the simplicity of 12v pump, solar panel, and battery. That propane water heater will be clutch for me setup as well.
Can't help but wonder, do you have the black tank pumped put every so often or?
Ya you can pay a septic guy once every few years. We have been going for 3 years now and not full yet. But we use the outhouse mostly now.
Jen, I did put all my solar lights too, they look so nice, Jay great job on that washroom :)
Thanks so much, it isn't perfect but it keeps us clean and happy. I'll add you to the crazy solar light lady list with Jenny, its growing daily, lol
@@OffgridwithJayandJen 😂😂😁
How's she goin'? Having washroom facilities is pretty important and you have a nice set up there. Take care!!
Thanks buddy, we completely agree.
I wanted to do just a shower just like this but was told by county that it was not allowed in northern rural MN. Was told would need a septic system which would cost over $10,000. County does not allow nontoxic soapy shower water to run on top of the ground back in the woods. Also would not let me collect it in a bucket under a shower pan to dispose in the woods either. Crazy because they do allow you to collect soapy water in a bucket from under a sink and dispose of that back in the woods!
All septic systems literally have drain fields that leach the water into the ground in the same fashion their logic makes no sense
Back watchin some stuff!! Great setup folks!!
👋😎👍
Thanks buddy. Enjoy. Appreciate it
Sean recommended you! 👍🏻
Very nice.....welcome. Any friend of Sean's is a friend of ours. 👍
Hey y'all woot a shower is a wonderful thang. The showers in the UK are what we call emersion heaters. Like yours, they heat the water just before you use it. There's a master switch usually outside the bathroom that you turn on to use it. Garden is looking good. Solar lights are the business now. (Much brighter than they used to be.) Question do you guys harvest rain water? Cheers, Puck in NOLA.
Tankless heaters just make more sense. If they can work out the kinks of the heat exchangers rotting out from poor water quality then they be good to go. We have not collected rain water yet due to the fact the small bathhouse was the only really surface we could have collected it from. I'm hoping to do a nice rain collection system up at the cabin this year now that we have a nice roof to catch it. 😁
@@OffgridwithJayandJen yeah rain water collection systems work so well. That would be a great project to share. :-)
Ok, I had no idea they made an on demand water heater that was that cheap, I need one! I am guessing the pressure pump is an rv pump? Jenny should get more lights too! HHahaa...catching up on the videos I have missed from you folks today.
We have been so busy we have missed everyone's videos for weeks....busy busy. Yes these on demand heaters were sold at the depot and lowes last time I checked a few years ago and were only $119 but like.many items they may have increased a bit. The pump was a Walmart online special, pressure pump just like an RV pump yes. It was 30-35 bucks at the time
Excellent work on the off-grid bathroom and shower house. I like Jen's solar lighted path for nighttime nature calls. Thank you for another entertaining video.
Thanks ! A modern bathroom definitely makes staying up here much more comfortable. Jen says thanks on the solar lights, she doesn't think she can ever have enough lol :D Thanks for joining us :D
Wow! You lucky dogs! If you like breakfast casseroles those morels really kick it up instead of just plain ones. Love morels and have never been able to find even one, LOL! Also great battered n fried with a bit of butter. Good with andys seasoning also.,
Very nice....thanks for the tips
Zombie garden gnomes!
They are Jen's favorite!
Those water heaters are better than the huge water tank in my house
They do work well....very happy with ours. 👍
Your dog is great! Love! Nice video too.
More solar lights👍😁
So your going to build a outhouse. Better idea for you. I built a box with a lid. Added a Separett Privy 500 urine separating kit. 5 gallon bucket with sawdust for solids a 2.5 gallon plastic gas can for liquid. I bought four 150 gallon Rubbermaid stock tanks put plywood lids on them with a vent pipe for each. We added black soldier fly larva to the tanks in use. The urine we dump around trees in our forest. When we fill a tank with solids we compost it for 18 months then we can spread it. We have one tank in use, one empty, two are cooking. I get out there weekly and turn the contents sprinkle water just to keep it moist. They smell li,like, wal,ing into a garden greenhouse. That is our solution for our off grid homestead waist system.
I'm always open to options.....but I think just leaving the dirty deed in a hole for some future tree or plant to use at a later time will work just fine. I'm glad that your process is effective and making use of the waste. I personally don't need the extra chores or fertilizer enough to do this. Best wishes Edward, thanks for being here
Still love the bath house simple yet very functional. Great layout around the site. Looking forward to the landscaping at the cabin.
Thanks buddy, Jen has all kinds of ideas and plans, lol
Is your water heater vented to outside, i have mine on the outside wall of the bathroom with the pipe running to the shower head.
We do not have the exhaust vented outside. It produces a very clean propane burn and we only take short showers. We have a couple older videos showing the bathhouse better if you look through some of the older videos. These units are meant tonne used outdoors, but our bathhouse is far from air tight.
Nice set up, it’s clear you thought this through. Well done.
It works well, thanks 😊
That's awesome 👍
Thanks 👍
I have a Michigan wolverines zombie..for my flowerbed...
Ha, you and Jen would be two peas in a pod.....fun stuff
LOL!! that last part had me rolling 🤣🤣🤣 Ooo la la 🤣
The giggle factor. Lol
You two are such an awesome team!! You make me smile and laugh:D - t.p. Hoarder! Haha
Thanks so much, so happy you are having fun following along. Lots of love
Nice setup
Nice setup! I just bought a parcel of land and am looking to do something similar. Any lessons learned from your build? Things to avoid or things you wish you had done?
This little building it perfect for its purpose.....No regrets. Keep in mind we only did the large doors because they were free and let in a lot of light. So if you are being budget conscience, work with what you got. =)
Awesome system!!!
😊 thanks
Awesome Job guys. Love it. Great set up when off grid.
Better than a bucket right??
@@OffgridwithJayandJen 💯
Hmm think you might need some more solar light?
Jen says yes yes yes. LOL
Lisa I agree. Never enough lights lol Jay might see it another way ~Jen
When is the plunge coming? That bath house is ideal for the camp you have there!👌 Does that mean you gonna have to come down from the cabin for bathroom or you gonna move it up there? Another GREAT video! Gotta like them solar lights...🐕🐕
Yes I was wondering that myself
Polar plunge happening this weekend.....might take a week or two to get it into a video
Going to build a simple outhouse toilet set up or composting set up up by the cabin.
@@OffgridwithJayandJen hope that water is cold as...
...no just joking but who's it gonna be? Y'all work as a team, right?
@@OffgridwithJayandJen the set up for cabin will work for a good bit...
How many gallons is your reserve tank how often do you need to get it emptied and how much does it cost to have someone come out and empty your reserve tank? I'm asking because I just bought a few acres of land up in northern Arizona and I was thinking about building one of these bath houses great video thank you 🤣🤣
The toilet is the only thing they goes into the reserve tank. The tank is a 330 gallon IBC tote. Fills up about once a year and cost couple hundred bucks to have it pumped out. Works really well. We have the outhouse now so we use the bathhouse very little for the toilet now. But nice option for when camping down there. Grey water/ shower and sink just go into the ground. BOSS OF THE SWAMP has a nice video of how he built his Grey water drain field, check him out if you haven't. Best wishes
Be sure to insulate the heater and never let water freeze... .
We blew one ..
hey, thanks. Yes I have heard that these water heaters are very fragile
Amen~!
This was an enjoyable video! Thank you
😊 glad you liked it...Best wishes
Looks great but those walls won't handle the moisture for long so maybe treat it with oil or laquer or paint it with wet room paint? :)
Haven't seen the videos where you build it yet but will definately check it out
Ya you are kind of right, the inside is getting a bit of mildew inside. Some ventilation inside sealant would help.
Way to go guys lol x
Thanks Carol, hope you are doing well. 😁
@@OffgridwithJayandJen I'm good guys enjoying your videos as always. X
😁
Hey guys that bath house is fantastic do you think you'll move it closer to the cabin or build a 2pc toilet sink close to cabin? I really enjoy your channel keep up awesome content
We will probably continue to use the bathhouse where it is. We will build a simple outhouse near the cabin for night time use, but showers will continue to be only at the bath house......unless we built an outdoor shower up at the cabin this summer. 😁
Thanks for being here buddy
Hey guys. I'm just seeing this video for the 1st time lol. Hey 👋👋 do you wear ear plugs lol??It's loud 🔊📢 in your shower house. Hey Jen your solar lights look beautiful ❤️
I'm a solar light freak too lol 😆
@alicianneboyle2443 ha...too funny. It's weird the little pump is really loud on camera, but not so bad in real life....but maybe I'm hard of hearing. Lol. You and Jen would be solar light besties, lol
Thanks friend merry Christmas happy new year and the video? I subscribed because you have mastered living off grid and God bless you both for making a DIY video that can truly teach the simple minded people how to have baths off grid and stay safer and healthy.
Thanks. My friend......glad to have you here with us.
Its great when people can live the way they want.
Unfortunately, the government wants to force you to live how they want you to live.
I don't put as thought or care into how the Gov. wants me to live. I only get one and it makes me sad that many just let things like that stop them. Go live it my friend
Draining antifreeze out on the ground....
Hope the dog isn't thirsty.
It is RV Antifreeze. It is non toxic biodegradable. They use it in campers all the time....harmless. plus it is in a hole....in the ground, not draining into a pool lol
Wow! Great info!
Glad it was helpful!
Just curious what do you do when your black tank gets full? Do you have someone come pump it out? Or do you have a place you can empty it like a camper ?
spetic company will pump it out for a hundred bucks. but it has been 3 years and only half full so far
How do you keep your lines from freezing in winter?
We use an outhouse and shower from a portable system in the winter
Nice setup !!! 👍😁
Hi. Two questions: how do the critters get in? And why are pumps so noisy 🙄? Most motor components have quiet run time but pumps are the opposite. Did no one think to invent a quiet pump?
The critters were sneaking in under the door....we mostly fixed it since then. The pump is loud.....but the audio on go pro cameras is very sensitive and makes it sound worse than it is.
@@OffgridwithJayandJen ok..thanks for responding....good journeys to you
Awesomenessest video out there...Just What the Doctor Ordered \m/
Ha, glad you liked it Mark. 😄
@@OffgridwithJayandJen What state are u in?, either of you Dutch descent, very common to have the name start with a J
The more solar lights the better..😀
LOL Team Jen all the way I see, LOL.
@@OffgridwithJayandJen lololol
@@karleenwebb2893 woot woot
That on demand WH should be outside man. All of that exhaust his fill that room quickly. Someone could get CO poisoning.
Do people get CO poisoning when they use a use their propane stove tops for 10 minutes in their campers? I appreciate you looking out for us buddy, but the bath house is no where near air tight and we have been using it like that for 3 years. Takes more than a 5-10 minute shower to suck all the o2 out of that space.
I dont want that comment to sound snarky, I just was making a comparison. I truly do appreciate your looking out. Best wishes
@@OffgridwithJayandJen absolutely no disrespect intended. I know the internet is full of pompous people so I understand the need to be defensive.
My info is just coming from an old time plumber. And I can be wrong from time to time.
Like your show! You guys seem like a great team and are doing awesome things together! Keep up the good work!!
@@Justaguy0420 thank you my friend, you are completely correct with the aficiation aspect, would be smart to mount it outside, I just made sure to leave a few vents in the roof line for air flow 😁. Thanks for the support here, it means a lot to us
Looks nice. Just super loud lol
Lol, it is kinda loud.....but better than being stinky, lol
Genuine question, do you have to use like organic soaps/shampoos since you are just draining that into the woods? Is there an environmental concern about that?
Nothing different than a traditional septic system in any rural home. The solids stay in the tank and liquids and such over flow into the ground.
Do you have a headache from the deafening sound of that pump after a shower?
Lol 😆
Hey... is that an RV water pump? Is there a reason you'd rather use that than a bladder style consistent pressure pump?
Do you filter the water from the IBC ?
It is an RV style pump yes. We filter the water before it goes into the IBC tote and shock it with bleach to keep bacteria and already down. The bathhouse water we don't drink so little extra chlorine doesn't bother it too much. We did it this way to keep the system simple and ap we only needed 12 volt, also easier to wintize for the winter.
Also.....it really isn't quite ad loud as it seems in the videos. The camera just makes everything seem louder that it really is. Best wishes
@@OffgridwithJayandJen nice!
So, I had an idea in mind to use an rv pump to push water into a shower house in much the same way.
I have all these deep cycle batteries but they're all mismatched, so to fins a useful way to utilize them, I had thought of this as a solution. I too would be only 12V so it's great to see this has been done - and quite effectively!
Thanks for this.
Oh btw... I know the pumps aren't really all that loud. I currently live in an RV until our permanent structures are built and there's one in there.
It's what gave me the idea in the first place.
I was actually going to have the pump, water heater propane tank and battery in a small closet on the backside of the shower house, so it's separate from the actual room itself. Just to cut down on the sound, eliminate risk to battery and that strange, occasional scent of propane that can occur from time to time.
Love your example.
@@johnnythekid6436 good luck my friend. Just for reference our single 12 volt battery does everything we need it to.....I set up a single 100 volt solar panel and cheap Charge controller and it keeps it in tip top shape.
What do you do for winter for showers etc?
Melt snow and heat it in a pot on the woodstove, then shower outdoors. But we actually got a bathroom in the cabin now. Almost done
What size is the water pump and how did you do your on/off switch to work the pump 8:49
This was the cheapest little pump you could buy on Amazon......all you do it connect the negative to the battery and then with the positive you put a switch to interrupt the connection
Are you going to insulate it ? Do you have hooks on the wall for your clothes? It is fantastic 💥
We have hooks yes, we don't really plan on making the bathhouse too fancy....going to spend that time building the indoor bathroom on the cabin. 😊
Do you have a septic company clean out the black water tank when full?
That is the plan...so far it only half full. Company said couple hundred bucks they will pump it.
@@OffgridwithJayandJen thats awesome! How big is the black water bladder??
@@jennjenn5064 330gallons
Subscribe to soon as I saw the dog
Awesome KD, glad to have you here. 👍
Your black tank 20ft away, do you have that pumped out or does it leach out? Thank you!!!
leaches out similar to a regular septic and only the toilet goes into the tank so far less liquid.
@@OffgridwithJayandJen thanks Jay! If you get time, could you explain the process of your leach bed? Appreciate ya! The wife and I have a tiny off grid log cabin on the Indiana/Michigan border. I'm in the process of drawing up a restroom/shower house and love that you're able to use a pump to pressurize a normal toilet. I just subscribed and started following you on Instagram. cabin_solitude is our Instagram. A few pictures of our cabin are on there. Look forward to watching your journey!
about how much propane does that water heater use?
Hard to say for sure....but I think we get about 30-40 showers per 20 pounds of LP. Maybe more
Question on the Black Tank... I read on your other video that the toilet flushes to another IBC tote that is buried and has the bottom cut open. How has this worked for you over the time you have been using it?
Also, do you flush the toiletpaper into the ground as well and are you using Septic Safe TP so it degrades quickly? or are you taking the TP out in a bag separately?
Thanks!
It has been used a lot over the last three years and still drains well and has only a couple inches in it. All the paper goes down there too. I m sure it will impact and stop draining at some point, but so far so good. Looks like any other outhouse hole really. Remember we have super sand soil here that rains well....that will Makena huge difference.
How many hot showers can you get out of that propane tank?
Honestly I cant give you an exact number. But we spent a crazy amount of time off grid last season due to shut downs and such and we only used one full tank and one half tank. That's 30 gallons of LP for a 5 month season, almost 50% of that we were at the property....two people showering almost daily. I would guess......75 showers minimum per 20 pound tank. I was super impressed how long the tank lasted.
@@OffgridwithJayandJen thank you, that sounds like some good bang for your buck
Jay, I bet Jenny would like it better if you had the pump outside.....probably not as noisy, or you can tell me to shut up lol
Huh? I couldn't hear you, I was washing my hands. Lol
Why is the bathroom so far from the cabin.
It is 50 feet from the camper, which we have spent the last two years staying in while we develope the property. Now that we have a cabin we will build a bathroom near the cabin.
@@OffgridwithJayandJen understand . I just found your channel today, binge watching. thanks.
😁 glad to have ya here. We actually built the campsite and bathhouse before we owned the parcel where the cabin is now built, so that us why things are all over the place. Thanks for being here and dont be shy about asking a question. Best wishes
Why not add a gutter to the bath house to help refill the tank?
😁 it's on the short list, lol. Wasn't sure if the benefits would outway the goodies from the roof dirt and such. Filtering out the junk for such a small amount of water. But I might add it at some point
I’ve seen some utube videos on how to design a rainwater system that catches the first few gallons of rainwater which is the dirtiest. Basically they used a vertical 3 inch pvc standpipe to initially catch the junky water and after it overflows , that water runs into the holding tank. A small hole at the bottom of the standpipe allows that water to drain out slowly between rains so the process can happen over again.
That is a good idea. I think I may have seen that before too, but it has been a while. I will certainly be doing something like that up at the cabin.
Could you tell me the dimensions of the inside please?
6x8
Troy... sometimes it's better to beg forgiveness than ask permission.......... just sayin
Ya, a septic literally does the same thing with a leach field so same concept
Lol!!!
Why is it so incredibly loud? Are all dc punps that loud?!
Lol, no they are not.....the GO PRO Makes everything sounds crazy loud. 😊 it is a little loud, but not nearly that bad
@@OffgridwithJayandJen I really like this setup, and had planned something near identical.
@Freshbrood it works great and is very simple and effective. Mayne mount pump in a box or box outside if the noise bothers you 😊. We honestly were just happy to have hot showers, lol 😆. And like I said the camera made it sound worse than it was. Best wishes, thanks for watching
@@OffgridwithJayandJen Hey I also forgot ro ask you how many amp hours does it use? I assume only the pump runs off solar? (+ the D batteries for the pilot flame?) Would only one 80amp hour battery with 100W panels (what I have now) get me some good shower time for 20mins without running the battery too low? Also what kind of pump do you use?
I was looking forward to watching your video but I hate everybody putting music on that I hate this is CZcams not an elevator
@@OffgridwithJayandJen well I just blocked you
Thank you, saved me the trouble. Best wishes
86 the porn music. Makes for a better video.
Lol